August 2009
Table of Contents
- Real Estate Roundup (July 2009)
- Dixon Ridge Farms: A Leader in Sustainable Farming
- Did you know – Solano at the State Fair
Real Estate Roundup (July 2009)
CBRE (www.cbre.com)
- 853 Cotting Court, Suites C & D, Vacaville, CA – 4,620 SF lease to VWR International
- 821 Eubanks Drive, Suite C, Vacaville, CA – 4,542 SF lease to Dow Diversified
- 871 Cotting Court, Vacaville, CA – 3,450 SF lease to North Coast Energy Services
- Quarters O, Mare Island, Vallejo, CA – 7,358 SF lease to Green Tech Power Group
Colliers International (www.colliersparrish.com)
- 506 Stone Road, Benicia - Lease Renewal of 12,624 SF to Mission Linen Supply, Inc.
- 4620 Westamerica Dr. (Pony Express) Fairfield - Sale of 12,830 SF to MV Transportation, Inc.
- 4725 Mangels Blvd., Fairfield - Sale of 2,155 SF to Sierra Pacific Investment Co., LLC
Cornish & Carey (www.ccarey.com)
- 4950 Fulton Drive A&B, Fairfield – sold ±10,328 SF to Prema Thekkek
- 473 E. Channel Road, Suite B, Benicia – leased ±4,000 SF to Benicia Fabrication & Machine, Inc.
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Dixon Ridge Farms: A Leader in Sustainable Agriculture
Dixon Ridge Farms located east of Winters in Solano County are leaders in organic walnut farming and sustainable agriculture.
Over the year the owners, Russ and Kathleen Lester, have worked hard to reduce their farms carbon footprint with great success through simple and advanced techniques.
In 2007 Dixon Ridge set a 5 year goal for energy self-sufficiency. The goal led them to become the first farm to use a 50 kilowatt BioMax co-generator which converts walnut shells (they have plenty of them on a walnut farm) into renewable energy. The generator uses a technology called “flash pyrolysis” which transforms the walnut shells into biogas which is sufficient to power their 12,000 square foot storage refrigerator and also provides a good amount of the propane needed in the walnut drying process and heating all of the buildings in the winter. The system has been such a success for Dixon Ridge they plan on adding an addition BioMax generator in the near future.
They also take action to conserve water. On the portion of the farm where they use flood-irrigation, they have retention basins to retrieve the excess water and recirculate it into the irrigation system. The Lesters also use extra walnut shells as mulch which reduces weeds and slows water evaporation.
By running an Organic farm they eliminate waste and the use of chemicals. By using natural fertilizers and such as compost the can return twig, leaves and hulls removed during the harvest back to the orchard where they can return their nutrients to the soil. This returns all the ‘waste’ to the farm which would be removed and burned in traditional farming practices.
With the Lester’s efforts and environmental conscience they were awarded the state’s highest environmental honor in 2008, the Governors Environmental & Economic Leadership award in the categories of sustainable practices that reduce the effects of climate change. They set a great example of putting the land first.
To learn more about Dixon Ridge Farms check out their website, www.dixonridgefarms.com.
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Did you know?
Did you know that Solano County won three awards at this year’s State Fair? Solano County won…
- Best of Show & The Gold Award for the Solano County State Fair Exhibit (for the 5th year in a row!)
- The Agricultural Award which is presented by the California Exposition and State Fair Board of Directors to recognize an individual or organization that has contributed extensively over a number of years to the promotion, advancement and growth of the California State Fair Agricultural programs. (This is the first time a county has ever won the in the 17 year history of the award)
Congratulations to all that help set the high bar of achievement that is expected from Solano County.
Solano EDC Team
Mike Ammann, President (mike@solanoedc.org)
Sandy Person, Vice-President (sandy@solanoedc.org)
Pat Uhrich, Office Manager (pat@solanoedc.org)
Andy Turba, Special Projects (andy@solanoedc.org)
Solano Economic Development Corporation
360 Campus Lane, Suite 102, Fairfield, CA 94534
Phone: (707) 864-1855 Fax: (707) 864-6621
Website: www.solanoedc.org
